Book excerpt: On a warm spring day in the 1950s, twelve-year-old Jason, an only child from the Midlands, arrives for a holiday in a small seaside village where his father lived as a child. Staying with his uncle and aunt, he plans to explore the rocks at low tide which his father remembers from childhood. Soon he meets Joe, an old man who once was an expert fisher of the shores. Joe becomes a mentor for the boy as he can describe, from memory, the layout and secrets of the rocks. When he starts to investigate the shoreline, a shy Jason meets Abby, a lively young Australian girl. As their friendship grows, she comes to realise that he has a secret and is escaping from something he’d rather not talk about. With more confidence, Jason becomes adept at catching shellfish. Yet he encounters unexpected trouble, even in these beautiful places, and will have to draw on his new resources to confront possible obstacles ahead...